A new gourmet pizza and cocktail bar to open at Manchester Arndale’s Halle Place in just a couple of weeks time.
PizzaLuxe has decided to create “a new home in the North” after being an anchor tenant at the award-winning Leeds Trinity Kitchen since 2013, and has confirmed that it will be opening its flagship restaurant in the new £11 million food quarter of Manchester’s central shopping mall.
The ever-popular pizza operator aims to lead the way in day-to-night dining by serving up gourmet thin-crust pizza, aperitivo, and fresh salads alongside its made-to-order cocktail menu.
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Foodies familiar with PizzaLuxe will know that the brand doesn’t stick to the rules of conventional Neopolitan pizza and instead creates unique Roman-style recipes using a combination of both British and European premium produce that has been carefully sourced to “ensure consistent quality”.
Some of the pizzas to take your pick from on the menu in Manchester include the Palermo – with mushroom, oven-baked ham hock, parmesan and sage – the Lardo, with bacon, brie and baby spinach, Chorizo, with goats cheese, roasted grapes and honey, and the Pollo – with pesto chicken, black olives, artichoke heart and mushroom.
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Vegetarian options include the Verdura, which comes with cherry tomato, asparagus, artichoke heart, red onion and black olive, and the Quattro Formaggi with mozzarella, gorgonzola, feta, halloumi and thyme.
Prices for pizzas will start at just £5.50 – with vegan and gluten free options available.
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Credit: PizzaLuxe
If all of those options didn’t sound mouthwatering enough as it is, PizzaLuxe will also be serving Manchester’s first breakfast pizza – which includes toppings of sausage, bacon, egg, and PizzaLuxe’s own breakfast sauce.
The full breakfast menu will be available every weekend, and also includes baked-to-order breakfast rolls and bowls.
PizzaLuxe is aiming to be the first venue in the UK to combine a quick service restaurant element with a full-service bar serving a wide selection of beers on draught, a curated wine list and countless spirits, alongside a new menu of freshly-made cocktails.
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Food and drinks at PizzaLuxe Manchester can be ordered through an innovative new procedure which lets you scan a QR code at your table, and then be automatically-notified via SMS once your order pizza is ready to collect from the counter.
On top of that, the new restaurant will also launch its coffee kiosk later this month.
‘Coffee + Cake’ will be open daily for passers-by, with a fixed price of £3 for barista coffee and homemade sweet treats.
Credit: PizzaLuxe
“Our aim has always been simple and still remains at the heart of what we do – affordable luxury, exclusively for all,” said Paul Goodale, founder of PizzaLuxe.
“We offer a contemporary, creative execution of simple, classic pizzas and cocktails in a stylish environment, served with a warmth and generosity of spirit.”
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The new Manchester flagship site has been designed by Paul alongside Hudson Rock Design as a bright and airy space that features both counter seating to provide the perfect pit stop for a quick meal on the go, and an in-house bar area which will create the ideal backdrop to punters looking for a casual evening drink.
PizzaLuxe opens in Manchester Arndale’s Halle Centre on Monday 19 July, and you can find more information ahead of launch day here.
Featured Image – PizzaLuxe
Food & Drink
A sports bar dedicated to women’s sports is opening in Stockport
Daisy Jackson
A brand-new women’s-led sports bar is opening in Stockport, marking a first for the North.
Rita Ray’s will be joining the line-up at Weir Mill, the new neighbourhood from Capital & Centric on the banks of the River Mersey.
While women’s sport has grown in popularity in recent years, Rita Ray’s founder says that ‘the spaces to watch it haven’t caught up’.
And so, this new sports bar concept has been born, with all the buzz of a classic sports bar but with women’s sport on the big screens.
The venue will be family-friendly by day, before shifting into a lively social hangout with great drinks, music, and post-matchday energy by night.
It plans to become a community cornerstone too, hosting things like run clubs, classes, quiz nights, book clubs, pop-ups, and community meet-ups.
Founder of Rita Ray’s, Becky Brown, has named the bar after her grandparents Rita and Ray, who loved life, games, golf, and good company.
She says there’s ‘nothing like this in the North at the moment’.
Rita Ray’s sports bar is the second independent venture announced for Weir Mill this month alone – Italian restaurant The Social Trattoria is also heading to Stockport this year.
Becky said: “Women’s sport has grown massively, but the spaces to watch it haven’t caught up.
“There’s nothing like this in the North at the moment, and Stockport and the Weir Mill neighbourhood felt like the perfect spot – creative, independent, and full of character. Rita Ray’s is about sport, community, and inclusion.”
Tom Wilmot, joint managing director at Capital&Centric, said: “Rita Ray’s is exactly the kind of bold, indie concept we love bringing into our neighbourhoods. It’s a brilliant addition to Weir Mill and a great example of the independent operators helping shape this new part of Stockport.”
Cllr Micheala Meikle, Cabinet Member for regeneration, skills and economy, said: “Seeing the North’s first independent bar dedicated to women’s sport choose Weir Mill is a fantastic vote of confidence in Stockport.
“This kind of bold, community‑minded business will add to the growing sense of place we’re creating here – an inclusive space where everyone can come together to enjoy sport, meet friends, and feel part of something special.
“This is exactly what regeneration should deliver: new jobs, strong independents and more reasons for people to spend time in our town centre, while keeping the character that makes Stockport what it is.
“Investment of this quality shows the direction we’re heading and the momentum we’re building, ensuring Stockport remains a vibrant, welcoming and thriving place for residents, visitors and businesses alike.”
Rita Ray’s is all set to open this summer at Weir Mill in Stockport, just in time to roar on the Three Lions.
Mexican chain Wahaca might be returning to Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Mexican chain might be returning to Manchester, six years after its closure.
The much-loved restaurant group is eyeing up new locations in our city, as well as sites in Cambridge, Glasgow, and Birmingham.
Retail and leisure agency P-Three has been tasked with sourcing new sites across the UK for Wahaca, which had to permanently close 10 locations in the midst of the pandemic.
Wahaca restaurants that closed included its popular location in the Corn Exchange in Manchester.
Wahaca was founded in London almost 20 years ago, by MasterChef winner Thomasina Miers and Mark Selby.
Its menu showcases food from across Mexico, with restaurants that are inspired by the modern bustling culture seen in contemporary Oaxaca.
It’s also the UK’s first carbon-neutral restaurant group and multiple-time winner of the UK’s most sustainable restaurant group.
P-Three is looking for large restaurant units (2,500-4,500 sq ft) which Wahaca can move back into as it brings its vibrant food back across the UK once again.
Wahaca might be returning to Manchester. Credit: Wahaca
Thomas Rose, co-founder at P-Three, commented: “Wahaca has firmly established itself as one of the UK’s most authentic and lively restaurant groups, offering diners a bold, fresh and modern take on Mexican street food.
“A longstanding client of P-Three, we are excited to be supporting Wahaca with this next phase of growth and look forward to helping them bring their concept to new cities and locations across the UK.”
Mark Selby, Co-founder & Chairman at Wahaca, added: “After the huge success of our Paddington opening in 2024 and the incredible feedback on Wahaca Reimagined across our 14 individually designed restaurants, we are excited to be once again looking to bring Wahaca’s unique restaurant experience to different areas of the UK.
“We want to find buildings that lend themselves to our distinctive look and feel and know that P-Three will do an excellent job bringing that vision to life.”
Emily Sergeant -
2nd July 2021 
